Better The Angel You Know
by LittleMissUnderstood97
Summary: Hayden and Azraelle were doing just fine until the Winchesters showed up. They were quite happy to hunt things that go bump in the night all by themselves. Hell, they were good at it. Then they broke the number one rule of demon hunting: don't steal Dean Winchester's car. Lives becoming ever more dangerous, they wonder; is it better to go with the angel you know?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer;****No, I do not own anything but the characters I create, please do not falsely sue me.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_**Five Years Earlier**_

"But this is the second disappearance!" exclaimed Carrie, opening her locker to get out her clothes. Hayden sighed.

"Really? This is what you want to talk about fresh out of gym? Wasn't that enough misery in itself?"

Carries frowned as she tugged her blonde hair out of it's ponytail. "How does all this not bother you? There's a rumour going around that the janitor, Mr Carren has gone missing too, Alice overheard teachers talking about it-"

Hayden cut her friend off with a roll of her eyes and pulled her white tank top over her head, adjusting the bottom so it didn't tuck into her denim shorts.

Carrie persisted even as they left the locker room. "But that's three people! And it doesn't seem like the cops are any closer to finding them."

Hayden just turned into the cafeteria.

"Hayden, wait up-"

"Hey, Scarface," called someone behind them and Hayden froze.

"Please, not again…" she murmured.

A group of male seniors entered the cafeteria and pushed their way in front of the two girls. The one who called out, Mark, stood at the front, grinning with an arrogance that came uniquely from having the principal for a father and being a quarterback for the school's football team.

"Hey Scarface, I was talking to you. Where do you think you're going?"

"To get lunch, obviously," snapped Hayden, trying to go round them only to get shoved back, leaving her to inwardly curse her face once again. Her hair was long and dark, split with a side parting heavy enough to cover most of the left side of her face. Hayden always thought she'd suit a centre parting, maybe some bangs, but the dark scar that curved from the furthest point of her cheekbone to the join of her lips put a stop to that.

"Look, guys," pleaded Carrie, "Just let us pass already, please?"

Mark flashed her what had been a perfect smile until Hayden had knocked one of the teeth out last month. "Of course_ you_ can, Carrie." One of the boys whistled. "It's Scarface here we want to talk to."

Carrie glanced at Hayden who quickly looked away. "Just go on," she said quietly, "I'm not hungry any more."

Carrie opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it as though she thought better of it and hurried past.

Hayden burned silently with shame as her friend left her, only for the shame to turn to anger, contorting in her chest.

"Ooh, look out, Mark," jeered one of his cronies. "She wants another fight, look."

True enough, Hayden had unknowingly clenched her hands into fists. _What the hell_, she thought pulling back one arm slightly, _Who'd complain if I knocked his teeth in, really? I've already done one of them._

"Brooks!" cut across the shocked voice of Mr Turner as he forced his way through the student build up. Hayden lowered her arm.

"Do we have a problem here, Herrod?" he asked as he got closer. Mark shook his head, grinning as the teacher then turned to Hayden. "And what do you say, Miss Brooks?"

"Nothing," answered Hayden through her teeth. "I have nothing to say at all." She pushed through the crowd, fully conscious of all the whispering, but only vaguely aware of black haired girl she hadn't seen before watching her leave.

Hayden relaxed once she had put some streets between her and the school. After the cafeteria incident she had hidden in the toilets as it was the only way she could be 100% certain she wouldn't run into Mark again, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to hit him the next time she saw him. Now that lunch was over she figured she'd go outside, take the rest of the day off. In Hayden's opinion there was nothing a little skipping class couldn't solve.

"You're meant to be in school," came a sharp voice to Hayden's left, and she looked to see the black haired girl from earlier across the street smiling at her.

Hayden scowled as she turned to face her, the girl mirroring the action. "Really? You going to report me?"

The girl laughed and put her hands in her black jean-shorts pockets.

"You mean so I have to explain why I was out of school when I saw you? No, I don't think I will." She smiled again and waved as she continued to walk, leaving Hayden standing there, unsure how to take the encounter.

* * *

Carrie walked through the empty halls of her school clutching a folder to her chest. She had stayed behind to finish up a research assignment using the school computers as her own at home had crashed.

After saying goodbye to Mrs Hereby Carrie had left the library, instantly unnerved by the darkened corridors and silence. She wasn't quite sure what it was, something just felt... off.

Footsteps.

Carrie froze, then shook herself and carried on walking. Nothing's wrong, she convinced herself but nonetheless she hugged the folder a little closer to her chest.

Then she heard breathing. A deep inhale, almost like someone was smelling the air. She turned slowly, dropping the folder as her eyes raked over the bloody uniform.

Carrie never had the chance to scream.

* * *

Hayden looked at the photo of her and Carrie taped to the inside of her locker.

Her friend hadn't made it home last night and it seemed like the police were already adding her name to the list of missing people, much to Carrie's mother's protests.

She refused to accept that her daughter could just be another name in the newspaper, another statistic.

Hayden slammed her locker shut and started to walk but she didn't make it far.

"Hey, Scarface!"

Hayden gritted her teeth.

"Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Mark roughly spun Hayden round. "We didn't finish our chat yesterday."

_Don't react_. "Leave me alone, Mark."

He wore an ugly smile as he closed in. "Or what? Who's going to stop me? Not even your own friend wants to help you."

Hayden tensed. _Don't hit him don't hit him don't hit him-_

"Oh, and by the way," he grinned as he took a step back, "Good luck finding her."

_Fuck it. Hit him._

Hayden smiled sweetly before she punched him in the face. Mark reeled back and looked at her blankly for a few seconds before the rage set in. Hayden watched with satisfaction as she noted blood trickling out his nose.

"Bitch!" he snarled as he threw himself at her, the momentum carrying them both into the wall. Hayden gasped as her head cracked against the brick. She went to move, but Mark grabbed her by the shoulders and slammed her back before swinging her round so her face slammed into a door.

Hayden absently noted that it was the one that led to the school basement before she turned to see Mark moving towards her again. She ducked down as he swung, and he cried out as his fist connected with hard wood. Hayden didn't pause, shifting low so she could knock her fist into his gut, dimly noting the reaction of the crowd that had gathered to watch.

She was distracted for too long, and didn't see Mark recover enough to knock her with enough force to knock her into the door with a crunch as it opened forcibly, sending her crashing down the stairs.

Hayden barely had time to take note of the lock of blonde hair and blood splatter on the floor before it all went black.

She woke up in the nurse's office with a splitting headache. It took a few moments blinking for the stars to disappear, then she sat up.

Hayden was strangely calm, answering all the nurse's questions, only half listening to Principal Herrod as he reprimanded her from the door. She was half sure he started yelling at one point before the nurse told him he should probably leave, and that Hayden was no doubt still feeling the effects of a concussion.

He left, and soon after Hayden did too, much to the nurse's protesting.

She wandered the halls absently, hearing snatches of conversation as she went by.

She became aware of a small tugging at her top, recognising Martha Lisbert, a shy, quiet girl from Math.

"Yes?" asked Hayden, feeling slightly detached from her own voice. The word concussion oozed through her brain.

"You should probably go," Martha murmured. "I mean, Mark and his guys are looking out for you and your friend. They're not happy about earlier."

Hayden nodded, strangely pleased at the fact she had pissed him off. Then she frowned. "Friend? Carrie isn't here."

"Yeah, I, I know that," answered Martha, her eyes shifting to glance around them. "I meant the new girl. The one who helped you."

"Helped me?"

"You don't know?" It was Martha's turn to frown.

Hayden watched her for a moment.

"Tell me."

A few minutes later Hayden was walking outside, thinking over what Martha had said. Apparently after she'd gone down Mark had made a move towards the stairs, preparing to pummel her unconscious body - not very sporting of him - when the new girl had moved in on him. According to Martha, she took a swing that sent Mark reeling then... Well.

"_It was so weird. He went to grab her, but she got their first and... I'm not sure if she hit him or whatever, but her hand touched his forehead and he just hit the deck. Out cold. He woke up, like, twenty minutes later completely fine apart from where he'd been punched. No headache or anything."_

Hayden was still thinking about the Vulcan Death-slap and her own fight with Mark a few streets later when she noticed the girl in question was walking behind her.

She noticed Hayden looking at her and went to smile but Hayden cut her off with a scowl.

"What, are you following me now?!"

The girl frowned and gestured with her chin to the stack of books she was carrying. "Actually, I was heading home from the library, but if that makes you feel better."

"What would make me feel better is to know why you got involved earlier to day with Herrod. And how you managed to knock him down."

The girl shifted on her feet looking uncomfortable. "Ah, that. Well, when you're as skilled a ninja as I am..."

An awkward pause followed. Hayden broke it.

"So, what's your name?"

"Azraelle."

Hayden looked at her blankly. "You called me a what now?"

She sighed. "Azraelle. It's my name."

* * *

_One day I'll meet someone who just accepts my name right off the bat._

Az sighed at Hayden's expression of disbelief. She was used to it though. She got that a lot.

"So..." Hayden said, still not looking certain whether Az was trying to trick her or not, "Anyway. That doesn't answer the earlier question. Why did you daringly come to my rescue? Or are you just having a bad day and needed to smack someone down? Not saying that I disapprove of your choice of target."

Az started to walk. "Oh, you know, I just didn't think it was fair for him to hit you while you drooled on the floor. Hardly right. You could have taken him. Now, I've got to go-"

"Yeah," Hayden said matching Az's speed. "I could have taken him. Obviously. What surprised me is that you clearly can too. What the hell happened? No offence, but you seem too nerdy to get into many fights." Hayden looked at the pile of books, her expression tinged with curiosity.

Az moved faster. It was her third day at school. How could she have messed up so soon? Was it so hard for her to maintain normality? _You just had to get involved, didn't you. Nice one, Az._

"I'm waiting. You floored a quarterback. Answers, man."

"Lucky shot," Az snapped, feeling guilty at the look of surprise on Hayden's face. She soon scowled.

"Look, what's your problem? You got involved in _my_ fight! Its not like I asked you to, I've dealt with these things alone just fine till now."

"Well, next time I won't step in then," Az said, feeling more guilty as every moment passed. Hayden seemed genuine, which was more than she could say for most people. Az glanced quickly at Hayden, trying to catch a glimpse of the scar. After the cafeteria incident she'd asked around, curious. It was awful, really, that so many people disregarded Hayden because of something so superficial. There were worse things to be than scarred...

She remembered her intervention and the Mark's face as his eyes rolled back when he hit the floor.

Pushing it away, Az made to change the subject.

"Sorry. Just a little stressed about how my mom will have reacted to getting a call from the Principal on her daughter's third day."

"You knocked someone out on your _third day?_ Dude, we have got to hang out more often." Hayden grinned, nudging Az playfully.

Az forced a smile. "Sure." _Like that'll happen. You seem nice, but I have bigger concerns._

At her street Azraelle stopped and looked at Hayden. "My house is down here. I'll see you later. Oh, and I'm sorry about your friend. I'm sure she'll be alright."

"Yeah." Hayden's expression lost its light. "I'm sure too. Hey, today, did you happen to look down in the basement?"

Az nodded. "Yeah, I went down there to check you weren't bleeding or anything."

"And was I?"

"You mean the nurse wouldn't have told you? No, you weren't."

"So you didn't see any blood at all. And no blonde hair?"

"Blonde hair? No? What are you talking about-"

"Nothing," answered Hayden, already turning away. "Nothing. Bye."

Az watched her for a moment before walking to her house, wondering about what she assumed was a display of strange behaviour for Hayden. Blonde hair?

_Wait, wasn't her friend Carrie blonde?_

* * *

Hayden dropped down on to the library carpet with less grace than she'd hoped for, stumbling slightly and dropping her pocket knife. Her first B&E. If it wasn't under such crappy circumstances she would have smiled.

After talking to her mom about what she saw and be told that she was, of course, wrong and that, obviously, it should be left to the authorities to handle and that she should, clearly, be more concerned about her own behaviour regarding the fight earlier that day.

Well, yesterday, seeing as it was one o'clock in the morning now.

The plan was to head to the basement and look for Carrie herself. Absurd, she knew. There was probably nothing wrong as she probably imagined it. She hit her head pretty hard after all. She should probably just go home. Hayden rested her hand on the window ledge before cursing and turning back to face the room. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that something was wrong. And that that something had Carrie.

Hayden moved quietly into the hall, listening intently. Upon deciding that she was safe, Hayden clicked on the flashlight that she had brought with her and made her way towards the basement. She didn't really think about the fact that the library light had been on when she had entered, nor did she notice that the librarian's chair had been slightly askew.

In fact, Hayden only knew for certain that something was wrong when she saw the dark splatter on the floor a few minutes later. It was in the middle of the hall, and with a horrible feeling in her stomach Hayden kneeled down to get a closer look. A faint whimper escaped her as her light reflected off the liquid surface of the blood.

Gripping the flashlight more tightly, Hayden flicked open her pocket knife, wishing she had something a little more threatening than a small switchblade. She stood up with a deep breath, forcing her self to feel more confident...

...Only to scream loudly as someone behind her whispered her name.

Hayden spun round, swinging the blade in a wide arc in hope of at least getting a head start on her opponent. She nearly dropped it however when she saw that this adversary was actually Azraelle, who leapt back to dodge the clumsy attack.

"What the _fuck_, man?!" whispered Azraelle, waving her arms around.

"Sorry!" mouthed Hayden. She frowned in confusion of her own as the moment set in. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Looking for you," answered Azraelle in hushed tones. "You're acting all weird today got me worried. Which brings me to the most important issue; what's going on?"

Hayden made a shooing gesture. "It doesn't involve you. Just go home!" Azraelle shook her head firmly, infuriating Hayden. "Look, this could be seriously dangerous, just leave!"

"So, you think by telling me you're in danger you expect me to leave. Dude, I saved your ass earlier today. I'm the type who protects her investments. Besides, didn't you say earlier today we should hang out?"

"Hunting a killer is not hanging out!" snapped Hayden, then regretted it instantly as the colour drained from Az's face. "Look," she breathed, not trusting herself to much louder as she knew her voice would shake. "I don't think people are missing." Hayden stepped aside to Az could see the blood drying on the floor. "I think they're dead."

Azraelle took a deep breath. "We need to get out of here and call the cops."

Hayden didn't respond.

"Hayden, seriously-"

"I'm not leaving."

"This isn't a rescue mission any more! Hayden, t_here's nothing to save!_"

"But there could be."

"You don't know that."

Az pulled at her black hair. "So. You're definitely not leaving." Hayden took a deep breath before she nodded. Azraelle sighed. "Fine. Then let's go."

Before Hayden could say anything else Az had moved past her, round the blood, and was creeping further down the hall. Again Hayden almost could have smiled. As she caught up to Az, who now had her ear pressed up against the door, she took a good look. Here was a girl who didn't quite fit in, someone whose name alone could single her out to the numerous bullies in the area. But here she was, having saved Hayden once already, walking into what could potentially be a very bad situation. For once, Hayden didn't feel quite so alone.

"Right, I don't hear any movement," breathed Azraelle. "You ready?"

Hayden's face tightened as she nodded.

Az slowly opened the door and stepped in...

...only to slip on something resembling torn meat at the top of the stairs.

Hayden grabbed Az's arm as she flailed, thanking God that the girl had managed to keep quiet. Az regained her footing, looked back gratefully and then screamed and pulled at Hayden, sending them both crashing down the stairs. Winded and now knife-less, Hayden looked up. Framed in the doorway was Mr Carren in a bloody janitor uniform, looking down at them. Only he didn't look like himself. He was pale, his skin seemed tighter and his weirdly black eyes were watery and strained. That, and he looked like he'd been biting into raw meat.

Then it all clicked in Hayden's mind and she wanted to vomit. Az had clearly worked it out too and was now scrambling to her feet and pulling Hayden with her. "C'mon!"

They only made it three steps before retching again as they looked upon the torn corpse of what looked like the school librarian.

"What the fuck?!" cried out Az as Hayden regained her senses and dragged her further into the room, away from the cannibalistic cleaner. The basement was large but crowded, with pipes taking up majority of the space, all leading back to the boiler near the back of the room. Hayden didn't stop running until she and Azraelle were hidden behind some boxes as far from where they had last seen Mr Carren as possible.

It was then Hayden realised she was crying.

"He must have killed Carrie!" she spluttered, finding it difficult to breathe. "He's going to kill us like he did my best friend, oh my God, what do we do?"

Azraelle didn't say anything. She was breathing heavily and peering out into the gloom of the basement, only lit by the low fire heating the boiler. It didn't look like it had been extinguished for a few days, now only embers.

"Az, what do we do?" Hayden whispered again. Az turned to her, pale and wide-eyed. She tried to look convincing. "We get out."

Hayden just shook her head. "He's killed people. Did you see his face? I think he's been eating them."

There was a clink of metal as someone walked into some loose piping further down the room.

"He's waiting," whispered Az.

"He's toying with us," muttered Hayden. _He killed Carrie. Ate her. And now he's toying with me. With Az too. She has no reason to be here. And now she's going to die with me. Killed by him._

Hayden felt a fire growing in her chest. She was more than scared and upset now. She was angry, going on furious.

_Who the fuck does this guy think he is._

"We're getting out of here," murmured Hayden, now with growing determination. "Even if I have to kill the bastard."

"I don't think it would be wise to attempt," said Azraelle backing up to the wall. "Looks like it didn't go well for anyone else."

Hayden turned around to see a bloodied and crazed Mr Carren standing there, watching them with a hungry look, and, as Hayden now noticed, a pair of scissors protruding from his lower torso. Mr Carren's gaze followed her own, and he seemed to notice them for the first time.

"Oh," he said, causing both girls to jump. He grabbed the scissor handles and pulled with a pained expression. He then let them clatter and looked back at Hayden and Az.

"She stabbed me," he rasped quietly, turning his head to look in the direction of the dead librarian.

"Well, can you blame her?" asked Hayden, her voice shaking.

"No," answered the janitor, meeting her eyes. "I suppose not."

"If you know what you're doing is wrong then why are you doing it?" asked Az quietly. He just looked at the ground.

"Because I'm hungry."

"Then eat some pizza, not humans, you freak!" exclaimed Hayden, recoiling as he snarled in a way that wasn't human at all.

"I can't!" he cried, raking his fingers down his veiny face. "That just doesn't work any more! It doesn't satisfy! Do you know what it's like?! To be so hungry? I'm _starving!"_ he roared. Then he let out a weak sob. "And I can never go home. Not like this."

Az took a shaky step forward. "Sir, please. Just let us go."

It was almost like he couldn't hear them. "It was all going so well. Eliza gave me the most amazing news." He half smiled. "She's pregnant. I'm going to be a dad. It was the happiest I've ever been." His smile disappeared and a scowled so deep it looked like he would never wear another expression. "But then the eating started. I couldn't stop. First it was all the junk food, then everything. And then...then it was meat. All meat. Any meat."

Mr Carren tilted his head. "Then human."

Azraelle's horrified expression became mingled with pity and utter disbelief, confusing Hayden. "Rugaru."

"What?!" Hayden exclaimed.

Mr Carren snarled and darted forward, scattering the cardboard boxes and sending Hayden flying as he grabbed Azraelle by the throat.

"How do you know that?!" he yelled ramming her up against the brick. "Are you a hunter?!"

"A what?" choked Az as Hayden climbed to her feet, looking desperately for a weapon.

"Do any of them know that I'm here?! Do they?!" He grabbed Azraelle's head and smashed it against the wall. She cried out, blood dribbling down the side of her face. Mr Carrens eyes lost focus and much to Hayden's revulsion she saw him lean forward and lick Azraelle's face.

Then she hit him with the wrench.

He dropped Az, who fell temporarily to her knees before scrambling over to where Hayden was, clutching her crude weapon.

"Fire!" choked Az, rubbing her neck.

"What?!"

"Rugaru! Use fire."

Hayden didn't hesitate. As Carren got up rubbing the back of his head, she was already on the move, grabbing a mop and throwing open the boiler furnace door. She shoved the mop into the embers.

"C'mon, c'mon. Burn already!"

Carren threw himself at Az, who stood between him and the hopeful firestarter, tackling her to the floor and biting her arm. Az screamed.

The fire flickered into life, soon lighting up the end of the mop. Hayden yanked it out as soon as she was sure the fire would survive without the source and hit Carren with it.

He yelled and rolled off Az, who layed on the floor crying weakly and clutching at her arm. Hayden was livid. She hit Carren again, this time holding the burning wood to him for as long as she could. He knocked it aside, but too late as his uniform had already caught. The flames spread, licking their way across him, feasting at the cloth while he screamed in panic, swatting uselessly at himself.

He then flung himself at Hayden who froze. Az didn't. She snatched what had been a mop from Hayden, and with a cry of pain she shoved, luck prevailing as the charred and sharpened wood buried itself in Carren's shoulder.

"That was for my arm, bitch," she said raggedly, and Hayden hauled her towards the stairs. They had made it to the top step when they heard him scream again, this time right behind them.

Hayden turned to see him clawing the banister as he moved towards them, and let go of Az's arm so she could plant a kick in the center of his chest that sent him plummeting down again.

"And that was for Carrie," she spat, watching him write and thrash feebly at the bottom of the steps before she slammed the door shut and locked it.

* * *

The girls watched, hidden, as the firetrucks showed up to try and save the school that was now half consumed by fire. After a few moments, Az made the first move to go and Hayden helped her from their hiding place. They didn't talk for a few blocks, just walking. They only stopped when the yells of the fire department had stopped.

"Rugaru," said Hayden, breaking the calm.

"Yeah," responded Az, still clutching her bloodied arm.

Hayden spotted a bench and made her way over to it, Az following her lead.

"Mind telling me what the fuck one of those is and what the hell just happened?"

"We killed a rugaru," answered Az, disbelief flooding her voice.

"And one of those is?"

"A monster, to be blunt."

"A monster," repeated Hayden.

"Yup."

"But monsters-"

"Don't exist? Yeah, that's what I hoped."

"You mean you believed they were real?"

Az, looked at her. "Don't you?"

Hayden didn't respond. They sat like that for a few moments, watching the flames in the distance glow.

"I read about them," said Az finally. "It's what I do. I read about that kind of thing. Monsters. The stuff that can't be explained. And what he said, I recognised it."

"That's how you knew fire would kill him." Hayden frowned. "It," she amended. Az nodded. Hayden blew out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I don't buy it."

"But you did," Az retorted, wincing as she moved her bitten arm. "As soon as I said fire, you didn't hesitate."

Hayden looked at the floor. _No, I didn't. I believed it all instantly._

"This isn't the first time I've come across something…strange," continued Az quietly. "It's why I read about it. That's how I knew," she sighed. "Look, I know you don't believe me-"

Hayden thought back to a flash of black eyes that she had forgotten and cut Az off.

"I do."

"What?"

"I do believe you."

Relief washed over Azraelle's face. "You know you're the only one to say that."

"Yeah, well." Hayden straightened up. "You're the only one who's ever stuck up for me, so I figure I owe you at least a little suspension of belief. I mean, you're clearly nuts, but I believe you."

Az laughed, then winced. "Thanks, you jerk."

Hayden stared at the sky. "So does that mean there are more monsters out there? Are they hurting people too?" _Are there more victims like Carrie out there?_

Az took a moment to respond. "Yeah, I guess so," she said eventually. "But do you remember what he said? About hunters? Call me crazy - oh, wait, you did- but I think there are other people out there who know. Other people who do what we just did."

"It won't be the same," murmured Hayden. "Not now I know there's stuff in the dark. I mean, Carrie? She was... She was never there for me in that she would fight beside me, but she was my grounding. She kept me sane. Now what'll I do?"

"Well, you've always got me," answered Az, jostling Hayden gently. "I mean, I'll never be able to keep you sane, not a chance. But..." she paused. "But that doesn't mean we can't fall down the rabbit hole together."

Hayden smiled. "That's reassuring."

The sky was beginning to lighten now, and the flames in the distance were dwindling.

Hayden looked sideways at her partner in fire. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Shoot."

Hayden hesitated before just coming out with it. "What the hell kind of a name is Azraelle?"

Az snickered. "Thank you. So much. Confidence boost right there. No, uh, I've asked my mom that too. She shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "She just gets all weird about it. Starts going on about how I'm my father's girl and how she hopes I'm more like him than her. And I have no idea who or where he is to know if that's a good thing for her to want or not. He left before I was even born."

"We'll, considering he left you both, that's kind of off. Shouldn't she be really pissed?"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? Nah, the way she talks about him makes him sound like some sort of saint, she's always calling him an angel."

"Must have been a hell of a night." Hayden winked.

It took a few seconds for Az to get it. "Oh, dude, that's my mom - uncalled for!"

Hayden laughed loudly, and they both settled back into a comfortable silence, watching the smoke drift into the morning.

* * *

**A/N****; ****Greetings and salutations :) I just want to say thank you for reading and that reviews are greatly appreciated (as an aspiring author it's always great to have feedback). This chapter was just to give some background to the girls (they're seventeen, in case y'all are wondering) and this is relly just to say how they met and got into 'the business'. Also, a moment of appreciation for my partner in crime, LittleGee who is co-creator of the two characters, beta and Supreme Motivator. Oh, and she made the cool cover for this story. It looks awesome. Once more, thanks and PLEASE REVIEW :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Present Day**_

Hayden looked around the bar again.

"What would it take for a couple of cute guys to come in here? I'm not asking for much. Just better than _that_." She gestured to the group of frat boys loudly pressuring a younger member to drink a ludicrous amount of shots.

Az looked up from her journal. It was a large thing, with a black cover that was decorated by silver embroidery in the form of angel wings. Hayden had bought it for her when she was at a low point under the pretense of Az needing to 'have a little faith'. That, and, as Hayden admitted later, she wanted Azraelle to stop carrying round little cheap and tacky notebooks.

"The shots look good, though. What are they, purple?"

Hayden nodded, then tugged at a guy's sleeve as he moved past their table. He smiled widely but faltered when he saw the scar that ran down the side of Hayden's face.

"I have a girlfriend," he said quickly.

Hayden rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, moron. I just want to know the name of the drinks that young man will be vomiting up later."

Az wrinkled her nose. "Lovely way to put it, Hay."

"Well, he will!"

"True," Azraelle conceded, watching the frats pat their youngest strongly on the back as he swallowed another shot.

Hayden turned back to her informant. He shrugged. "Something like 'purple nurples'."

Hayden smiled as he walked off. "They sound fun! Azraelle Carter, I challenge you to a drink-off."

Az didn't even look up from her journal. "No."

"C'mon, it'll be fun."

"No."

Hayden pouted. "Why not?"

"We're working a job right now. I want to be able to shoot straight if I'm attacked by a spirit, or...uh..."

"Aliens," finished Hayden, her face taking on the same expression of disbelief she had worn earlier that day when they had interviewed the victim.

Azraelle shook her head. "Aliens. I mean, what the hell is this case?"

"Weird," answered Hayden, staring longingly at the purple beverages. "You know what? Maybe this isn't even a case. Maybe it's just some...pranks gone wrong. In which case, we're not needed and are able to have those strangely attractive purple things."

Az didn't respond. Hayden blew out a sigh of frustration. "Fine. Tonight, I shall drink Han-style. Solo."

She rose and Az looked up. "Grab me a beer?"

Before Hayden opened her mouth with a retort, a voice cut across the room.

"Sarah! Hey, Sarah! Did you hear about Professor Marks?"

There was a small group of women at a table nearby, and it was one of them who responded. "No?"

The new arrival began making her way to them, as she did so dramatically stage whispering "Sarah, he died!"

Azraelle and Hayden were quiet.

"Really?" exclaimed Sarah while one of the others nodded seriously.

"You didn't read about it in the paper?"

Hayden looked at Az inquisitively, and sat down again as Az shrugged.

The serious one continued. "Apparently the animal-testing-ass bit the dust just in front of Crawford Hall."

Her friends began to reprimand her for insulting a dead man, but the hunters didn't hear that. They were already leaving.

* * *

"Okay," said Azraelle as they approached the window. "The professor's body is in there."

Hayden stretched, her white top lifting to show a bruise fading on her flat stomach, with a few healing scratches nearby. "Right then. Let's do this. What did the police say the cause of death was?"

"They didn't."

Hayden arched an eyebrow. "Really? Interesting..."

Az nodded in agreement and went to go to the window. Hayden threw out an arm to stop her.

"It's open," she whispered. Motioning for quiet, Hayden got closer, with Az following her lead. When they were up against the wall Hayden knelt down to peer through the open window. She pulled back to look at Azraelle.

"Two guys," she mouthed silently.

One of the men spoke.

"Mutilated. Looks like something was hungry."

_They're here to check out corpses? _Az looked concerned. "Doctors?" she breathed but Hayden shook her head, her brown hair falling onto her face. Az full out frowned. "They're just randoms looking at corpses?"

Hayden sighed. "Why is it always the cute ones…?"

Azraelle raised her eyebrows in interest. "Cute?" she mouthed, but Hayden had already turned away.

The men inside continued talking.

"- a research scientist at the college."

The girls stiffened. Hayden glanced up at her fellow hunter. "Isn't that our guy?"

Az nodded and carried on listening.

"- Crawford Hall, same as the professor."

"That's right where the frat boy had his close encounter," stated a second, deeper voice.

Hayden shook her head, still not believing that tale. Something was heard being wheeled across the floor. The deeper voice spoke again. "What is it?"

Hayden risked another look. One of the two men was looking closely at the remains, He seemed confused. "Looks like... a belly scale?"

"A belly scale? From what?"

"An alligator?"

Az leaned against the wall._ An alligator. Seriously? Is this case going to get any weirder?_

The deeper voice clearly felt the same. "An alligator in the sewer? C'mon."

"Well, Dean," began the other, then he stopped as he looked up and saw Hayden's hair whip out of sight. She had taken a second too long to move. "Dean, someone was there!"

"Balls," muttered Hayden as Azraelle yanked her to her feet.

"Hey, get back here! This isn't what it looks like!" called the one named Dean and Hayden pulled Az to a stop.

"Hey, maybe we should listen, they could be telling the truth. They might even be nice guys-"

Dean cursed a few metres back by the window. "Damn it, dropped my gun! Sam!"

Hayden resumed running. She heard a thwack and assumed that Sam had hit Dean.

"Dean, can you imagine how that sounds?!"

Dean called out again. "I'm sorry! I'm not going to shoot you!"

"_Seriously, _Dean?!"

Az was already ahead of Hayden and had stopped by the road, angry and confused at the lack of a black '69 Ford Mustang Boss. "Where the hell is my car?! My God, I let you drive it one freakin' time and it gets stolen!"

"Hey, I locked it!" snapped Hayden indignantly, reaching into her leather jacket's pocket so she could show Az the keys. Only they weren't there. "_Balls!_"

Azraelle's eyes glinted under the streetlight. "I will kill you later. Right now-"

"Hide!" Hayden interrupted pointing to an open door to a small block of flats behind another black vehicle further down the street.

"Well, I was going to say hold our ground, but that works too."

Just as they had closed the door, they heard them men run to a halt beside the car.

"Sons of bitches!" cursed Dean. "We should get out of here, Sam, in case they've called the cops."

"They saw our faces, Dean," responded Sam, frustrated. "We have to find them."

Az and Hayden looked at each other. Because that didn't sound sinister at all.

"And then what?" demanded Dean. "Convince them that our poking around what's left of that man's body was all just a big misunderstanding?"

"Yes. Dean, this could be a serious problem."

A pause.

"Right, fine," Dean said, huffing a sigh. "Search the next few blocks, then meet back here in five."

Hayden and Az listened as the two guys sprinted off in different directions, likely to cover more ground, and after a moment walked back out onto the street.

Hayden looked awkwardly at Azraelle who was just standing there, seething. "So...what now?"

"I'm going to hunt down the jackass who has my car and takes off his hands," she growled, kicking the rims of the car in front of them.

"While I'm glad to see that we're both in agreement about that not being my fault," said Hayden, continuing quickly before Az could object. "I was thinking about a solution to our current problem of no wheels."

As if a lightbulb flickered into life for them both, Az and Hayden looked at the black car.

"It is a really nice car. What is it, a Chevy?"

"And it's black. Your favourite," added Hayden, taking the opportunity to smooth over the fact it seemed she had lost Az's previous vehicle.

Az ran her hand along the side of the car.

"We'll give it back when I've got mine back," she murmured. "This would only be a temporary thing."

"And it would save our asses from the Doctors Frankenstein."

Next thing, Az was in the driver's seat, sparks coming off two wires beneath the dash.

"C'mon," she encouraged. "C'mon - there!" she cried as the engine roared into life.

Hayden climbed in the passenger seat.

"Let's get out of here."

It was as Azraelle put the car in gear that they heard a roar behind them.

"Hey! _HEY! Get outta my car!_"

"Hey, look," Hayden noted as she looked over her shoulder. "It's Dean."

"Bye, Dean," said Az as she slammed on the gas.

Hayden watched as Dean ran at them, but wasn't fast enough to stop his tyres smoking as Az spun them and made tracks as she sped off.

The last they heard was him bellowing, "BITCHES!" and Hayden blew a kiss at Sam as he turned the corner. Usually she'd feel bad at the look of utter confusion he was wearing, but given the whole gun thing, she let that slide.

* * *

A few streets away Az spoke.

"Dude, what just happened?"

Hayden opened her window for some fresh air - the mixed scents of burgers, fries and aftershave was strange - and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Honestly, I'm still trying to process it." She stared out the window as Az fumbled with the stereo. A moment later there was a '_Ha!_' of triumph as AC/DC blasted through the speakers.

"Haha, yes! Crazy or not, these guys have taste. This is the same album I have."

_Had,_ Hayden almost corrected, but then thought better of it. She liked her blood in her body; she didn't want it joining the splatters on the floor.

_Wait, what._

"Blood. Blood!" she shrieked.

Azraelle turned off the music and looked at her. "What are you-"

"BLOOD. It's all on the floor here, look." Hayden lifted her feet off the mat while leaning in for a closer look. "It doesn't seem too fresh. But. It's not as old as I'd like it to be either. There are some bandages too, clean. These guys clearly anticipate a lot of injuries."

Something clicked in Azraelle's mind then and she pulled over hard, slamming on the breaks.

_Oh no._

Hayden, meanwhile, was focused on the thudding and clanking noises that had come from the back of the car, items shifting slightly as they had stopped.

"There's something in the trunk," she said. "It's gotta be a body. Or body parts. Those sick bastards! That's why they were in the morgue."

"I don't think so," said Az, getting out of the car. "Hayden, wait there." She went round to the trunk; a few seconds and one picked lock later her suspicions had been confirmed. In front of her laid a small arsenal of monster-killing weaponry.

_Hunters._

"Az, what's going on? Was I right?" Azraelle slowly got back in the car and Hayden mistook her expression for disgust. "I _was_ right. How many pieces was the body in? This is some _Texas Chainsaw _shit, isn't it?!"

Azraelle didn't say anything. Hayden shook her by the shoulder suddenly serious. "Az, what's wrong?"

"The trunk is their armoury. Hayden - they're hunters."

Hayden sat back for a few seconds before she headbutted the dash. "Oh _fuck._"

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach the motel where they were staying. They'd chosen one just out of town rather than the more local one available. No real reason why, but now they were glad they had as the owners of the stolen vehicle had likely gone a bit closer to the crime scene when choosing their room.

_Or rooms, _thought Hayden, absently pulling apart her sandwich_, I don't know how they work._

Az wasn't eating, instead she was laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking.

Hayden threw aside her sandwich with a sigh. "Right, so what's the plan?"

Az propped herself up on her elbows. "First, I think we should move to a different motel. Chances are that they'll track their car here. I mean, they're hunters, how hard can it be to find a car? Especially such a nice one, a car they've put their hearts into."

Hayden frowned at Az, who was looking wistfully at the wall.

"They love their car," she continued. "They had everything just the way they wanted it, and if someone has altered even the slightest thing, they will die and I will make it look like an accident."

Hayden felt another pang of guilt regarding the misplaced mustang. She cleared her throat, knocking Az out of her trance.

"Right. Yeah. Anyway. We move, but we leave the car here. The only thing then is to try and finish this case without making a scene if we see them again."

"Well, here's to hoping we don't," said Hayden, raising her beer. She paused. "Do you think we should leave them a note? Like on the passenger seat or something? Say we're sorry, the whole thing was just a misunderstanding and that if they want people to not run from them they need to _not_ sound like homicidal maniacs?"

Az nodded. "We'll do that too."

They gathered their things into a bag with confidence in what seemed like a relatively feasible plan.

All that confidence evaporated when they left the room, however, and saw Sam, Dean and an older man they didn't recognise examining their car.

"Fuck!" cried Hayden and both girls tried to get back into the motel before-

"It's them!" pointed Sam, and Dean started striding towards them with clenched fists and a glare that could have made a demon cry. Az merely dropped her bag and rolled back her shoulders.

"Well, if it's a fight he wants..."

Hayden let her bag hit the floor too, then she kicked them both back out of the way.

"Then let's rumble," she said, walking forward to meet him. "I think we need to talk," she called as calmly as she could, but still a note of tension crept into her voice. _Right, if this goes well maybe we can all team up. Solve the case, be buddies. If this goes wrong, however..._

"Az," she murmured as they both closed the distance. "If this goes balls up, I'll roughhouse with tall and cute one, and you and Dean here can exchange car rage. We'll deal with the other one as it comes to it." Az nodded, and they stopped, allowing the boys to come to them.

Dean didn't slow.

"You stole my car," he said, going to move in on Azraelle who swiftly adopted a subtle defensive stance.

Sam threw out his arm to stop his partner. "Now, Dean, I'm sure that we can resolve this without making a scene."

"Maybe I want to make a scene," he growled, but stopped moving nonetheless.

Sam took the opportunity to talk while everyone was quiet. "Why were you at the morgue last night?"

"Same as you," responded Az. "To find out what killed the research scientist."

"And why's that?" challenged Dean.

"Because, Cranky, we're hunters," answered Az, pulling her gaze from the shotgun the older man was carrying to glance sideways at her friend. "Isn't that right, Hay?"

Hayden wasn't listening; instead, she was looking at the third member of the male party. The others noticed her distraction.

The older man frowned. "Is there a problem here?" he asked brashly, "I mean, another to add to the fact I'm looking at hunters who can't cover their tracks? It took me a few hours to find the car. Sloppy."

Hayden opened her mouth slightly as her eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"Don't I know you?"

A pair of black eyes flashed through her mind again, eyes she hadn't seen since she and Azraelle killed their first monster five years ago. A rugaru. They had been seventeen.

"I doubt it," answered the man.

Hayden couldn't say anything as more images flashed through her mind while she watched this man's face. A woman, a house by a scrap yard, a feeling of happiness broken by black eyes and a knife.

She reached up to touch her scar without thinking and the man dropped his shotgun. "Bobby-" the two guys started, Sam reaching to touch his friend's shoulder, but Bobby pushed him aside and walked straight to Hayden.

Az went to protest but stopped for reasons she wasn't sure of, instead making sure she was in a position to get him away from Hayden if the need arose. With more force than necessary, Bobby took Hayden by the shoulders and looked at her with his mouth agape, and brushed the hair from her face so he could see the ragged red scar that curved along her cheek.

"'Hay'?" he whispered. "Hayden? Is it you?"

Hayden felt her eyes well up and over as she finally recognised the man in front of her, fourteen years after she had last seen him. She nodded, and much to everyone else's shock, Bobby pulled her into a tight hug that Hayden didn't fight.

After a moment he pulled back, still holding her arm like he was afraid she would disappear.

"Boys," he said, facing Sam and Dean, "Change of plans. Either of you lays a finger on this girl and you're going to find yourself eating gravel."

"Bobby?" Dean stepped forward.

Sam was at his side. "Bobby, what's going on?"

Bobby looked back at Hayden. "This is Hayden Brooks. Boys, this is my niece."

There was a moment's awed silence. Then Az shook her head.

"Okay, what the fuck?"

**A/N: ****Hello again. Once again, thank you for reading. Your faves/follows/reviews are all greatly appreciated. What do you all think to the family reveal? I'd love to know, so if you could leave a review saying your opinions, I'd love you for it. In a platonic reviews-are-cookies kind of way. Again, thank you to the beta/motivator/co-creator/fangirl LittleGee, and I'll update as soon as possible. Until then :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N;**** Hey-di-ho, loyal readers. LittleGee here - co-writer, co-creator and all-around awesome person - stepping in and uploading on behalf of my darling best friend because she is unable to gain access to a computer. So I'm going to take this opportunity to apologise for the lengthy time it's taken to update. I tried to tell her, I really did. But did she listen? Did she hell. No, that's not fair to the poor girl, A2 classes apparently really take it out of you. Not that I'd know, but it's the thought that counts. Anyway, I'm just gonna shut up from here on and let loose with the words. Enjoy!  
PS- I'll just clarify to one of our reviewers that Az's name is pronounced Az-ray-elle :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Azraelle leaned stiffly against the frame separating the living area from the beds in Sam and Dean Winchester's motel room.

Hayden was sitting on the couch, rolling a beer between her palms, conscious of the heavy stares she was receiving. She knew it was the Winchesters. Az wouldn't be staring at her. She'd be looking anywhere else, constantly cautious. Not for herself, really, but for Hayden.

_She needs to drop out of hunter-mode_, thought Hayden, watching Azraelle's stern gaze flicker over every detail. _Bobby isn't planning anything._

The man himself was standing in the kitchenette with his own drink. His eyes caught Hayden, like he still couldn't believe she was there. "So," he broke the silence, awkwardly swinging one arm. "You're a hunter now."

Hayden nodded. "Yeah. I started when I was seventeen." She glanced at Az, who was now just staring at the framing opposite. "We both did."

"What happened?" Sam asked quietly from where he sat on the edge of the table. Under his gaze Hayden felt the urge to check that her hair still covered her scar. It did. She had made sure that Bobby wouldn't see it.

"A rugaru ate my best friend," she answered plainly.

Sam leaned back a little. "I'm sorry."

Hayden gave a small, sad nod. "So am I."

"How'd you kill it?" asked Dean, leaning on a wall near Az. It was her who responded.

"She hit it with a wrench, I stabbed it with a flaming mop and together we burned the school down around it."

Hayden reminisced, nodding slowly. Dean raised his eyebrows and Sam's jaw dropped a little before he regained composure. "Effective," was all he said. Az smiled a little at his tone.

Bobby sat himself down carefully on the sofa and turned so he could look at his niece. "How'd your folks take your leaving?" He sounded slightly pained. Hayden looked away, feeling guilty.

"We didn't leave straight away," she replied. "We got weekend jobs, we saved, we did our exams. It would have been normal if it weren't for the fact we were researching monsters and putting a small armoury together at the same time. We hit the road a month or so after graduation."

"Your parents were _so _mad," Az recalled. "They wanted you to go to college."

Hayden snorted. "Yeah, they were waaay too optimistic. Did they not see my grades? I think there was, like, one C in that pile of Ds and Es. Not like you, ya nerd. All Bs. It's insane. You spent all your time reading monster books. I still don't get how you managed it."

Az shrugged. "Coffee. So, so much coffee. I don't even like the freaking stuff."

"And your parents, they were fine with you leaving?" Sam asked Azraelle, and Hayden noted a wistful edge to his tone now. "I mean, if you did so well, didn't they want you to go to college too?"

"Parent," Az corrected. "And my mom let me do pretty much whatever I wanted. Prettiest woman you'll ever see, but…" Azraelle trailed off, unsure how to finish.

_Bat-shit crazy_, Hayden completed in her head, thinking of the beautiful woman who would float around the house, singing hymns under her breath then disappearing into her study to paint. It had been almost amusing until Hayden had realised that's all Azraelle's mother ever did.

It was Az who spent her time cooking, cleaning and just generally making sure her mother was alright. It still made Hayden sad to remember her best friend spent her childhood parenting the parent.

Hayden now coughed to draw attention away from Az's discomfort. "Right, now we're all acquainted and acting civil-" she thought back to the various obscenities Dean had voiced when Bobby had told him that Az would by riding in the Impala with him and Sam. "-maybe we ought to get back to the matter at hand. Something's killing people in weird as hell ways."

"Or probing them," Az reminded, wearing a look of utter disbelief once more.

Hayden sat back. "Exactly. And seriously, what the hell is up with goddamn _aliens_ of all things. I don't understand!"

Bobby looked around at them all. "Am I the only one who's worked this thing out?" Everyone just looked at him expectantly. Bobby blew out an exasperated sigh. "We're dealing with a Trickster."

"Knew it," said Dean. Sam looked at him, frowning.

"No you didn't-"

"Boys!" cut off Bobby. "Your damn bickering was the main clue. The Trickster knows you're on to it, so it's trying to turn you on each other so you can't focus on killing the sucker."

Sam sighed. "My laptop."

Dean closed his eyes. "My wheels."

Az straightened up and moved closer. "Wait, this thing fucks with cars?"

Bobby drank some of his beer. "Sure. Anything to distract you from the hunt."

Az breathed in deeply. "Even steal someone's ride." Bobby nodded, and Az balled her hands into fists.

_Ohhh, fuck_, Hayden thought in a panic, and she quickly stood up. "So what's the plan?" she asked hastily. "We should make a plan." She gently took hold of Az by the shoulders and forced her to sit on the bed.

"I'll accept an apology drink later," she said sweetly, turning her back on Az's scowl to face everyone. "Well, Mystery Inc. How do we kill it?"

Azraelle just muttered something about repeatedly running it over.

* * *

Azraelle was now wandering around the town. While the others stayed back to plan, Az had volunteered to go on a beer run. She supposed she partly just wanted to let Hayden adapt, to connect with her uncle and what appeared to be his adopted family. It hadn't been said aloud, but it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to see the strong bond.

_Uncle Bobby, huh? _she mused as she left the store. _That was unanticipated. _She walked for several minutes just considering this, remembering when Hayden had first mentioned her absentee uncle, what must have been a year or so after they met…

* * *

_Hayden opened another beer with a sloppy grin, and Az raised her eyebrows._

"_What?" Hay asked indignantly. "This is only, like…my fourth."_

"_No," Az replied, smiling at her friend's slurring tone. "You had your fourth three bottles ago."_

"_Really?" Hayden frowned, before giggling. They were sitting on Az's bed in one of the cheapest motels they'd ever encountered, drinking booze they'd 'appropriated' from the house they'd recently exorcised a demon from. After calling an ambulance for the victim, they'd looked around the cesspit of a house and decided no one would miss it._

_Hayden leaned across the bed and prodded Az's arm. "How comes you haven't drunk as much as I has. That's only your second and you're not even a liddle bit tipsy."_

_Az looked uncomfortably at what was in fact her fourth beer. She'd long since stopped wondering why it took so much more for her to feel any effects. Before she could contemplate it further, Hayden slouched forward so she was lying with her head in Azraelle's lap._

"_Wow," Az laughed. "Ever considered the fact you're a lightweight?"_

"_Shut up!" grumbled Hayden, closing her eyes. "I'm new to this. S'all practice."_

"_Practice? You see a lot of alcohol in your future?"_

"_We just exorcised a demon, and before that we killed a ghoul. So yeah, I see booze - and plenty of it - in my future. I'm gonna need something to drown my sorrows in."_

"_Well." Az couldn't hide the amusement in her voice as she took in Hayden's drunken demeanour. "Best you choose a medicine you can handle, then."_

_Hayden stared at the ceiling. "My uncle used to call it that."_

"_Uncle?"_

"_Yeah," Hayden murmured, absent-mindedly tracing her scar. "Hey, you wanna hear a sorrow, Az? Before I drown it?"_

_Azraelle leaned so she had her back on the headboard. "Um, sure, Hayden. If you want."_

"_My uncle's wife…my aunt…she was the one who cut my face."_

_Az shifted her position so she could see Hayden's face. She looked calm, devoid of any of the emotions Az would expect. "Really?"_

"_Aunt Karen. I loved her. Her and Uncle Bobby. They were…nice. Whenever I used to go over she would bake a pie. The best pie. Do you like pie?"_

"_Never had it," Az answered quietly, watching Hayden's glassy expression._

"_The best pie," Hayden repeated. "When I was five, I went to stay with them. I was so happy. Uncle Bobby would let me play games with him. He bought Monopoly especially for me. But one night Aunt Karen seemed different. She was meaner. Uncle Bobby had gone upstairs to get my board game and she was just so…so mean to me."_

_Hayden's eyes filled with tears and spilled over. Az went to cut in, to tell her that maybe she should go to sleep, but Hayden continued, it all just pouring out of her._

"_She hit me. She was going to do it again when Uncle Bobby came back. He stopped her, wanted to know what she was doing…when…when…when her eyes went black."_

_Az's face showed nothing, but her eyes betrayed the sadness she felt as Hayden unknowingly told her about her first encounter with a demon._

"_She pushed him across the room. He was in pain. And she had a knife. She was going to hurt him again. I was screaming, and I guess I must have tried to defend Bobby because suddenly I was standing in front of her and she cut me, she cut my face and there was so much blood and it hurt and I loved her and I didn't understand why she was laughing-"_

_Hayden pressed her hands to her face as she cried, tremors running through her body. Az gripped Hayden by her underarms and pulled her up so she was laying with her head on Az's shoulder._

"_They wouldn't let me see Uncle Bobby after that, Mom and Dad," she sobbed. "They told me Aunt Karen was dead but they wouldn't let me see Uncle Bobby. I didn't understand why! All the kids at school wouldn't talk to me at first, then when they did they were so mean! Do you know what it's like to be so young and be completely different to everyone around you?! No one…no one understands…!"_

_Azraelle hugged Hayden close, holding her until the crying stopped and sleep took over. But it took much longer to come to Azraelle. _Do you know what it's like to be so young and be completely different to everyone around you?!

_Azraelle looked sadly at the wall opposite. "I do, Hayden. I do."_

* * *

Az was snapped out of her reverie a street or so later when she realised that she was being followed. Immediately regretting her decision to walk, she turned the corner. She was about seven blocks from the motel, but it was getting dark. Twisting the plastic bag's handles so the beer would be easier to wield, Azraelle picked up the pace, considering just dropping the beer and running.

The footsteps behind her sped up.

With a pang of remorse, Az dropped the beer and ran. She made it two blocks, and she could no longer hear her pursuer. Then she saw a shadow move in her peripheral vision, knocking her into the wall.

Az ignore the pain coursing through her spine and instantly focussed. Two assailants, one a bit shorter than she was, the other the same height, same build. It was her who attacked, going to grab Az, but the hunter raised her arms to deflect, then dropped low and swung her leg out in an arc.

The attacker jumped lithely, and as she landed she lashed out with a kick of her own. Azraelle was send skidding, but quickly recovered, straightening herself up. She saw the familiar face of her opponent and froze. _No way…_

The opposition took the opportunity to slam Az against the wall, and once she was restrained, the third person moved into view.

Azraelle scowled heavily at Crawford Hall's janitor as he smirked at her, unwrapping a Hershey's bar as he did so. "Azraelle," he greeted, and Az struggled for a few seconds before accepting it was futile. Her suppressor was good.

_But then, she damn well ought to be_, Az thought sourly.

"I'd ask you how you know my name, but judging from this-" she jerked her head at the woman holding her against the wall. "-you've been paying close attention."

Trickster smiled. "Thank you."

Az rolled her eyes. "That wasn't a compliment. It's creepy."

"Well, we can discuss that in detail when we get back to my place."

Az snorted with some difficulty, as her throat was being squashed. "Most girls at least buy a girl a drink first."

Trickster merely smirked again. It was at that moment that a car pulled up beside them, and Az physically snarled and clenched her fists.

The Trickster gestured for her to get into her Mustang. "Shall we?"

* * *

Hayden threw her phone down on the bed. "She's not answering!" she noted, resuming her pacing. _Where the hell is Az, goddamn it?! _she thought, becoming more frustrated with each step.

"Maybe she got lost?" offered Sam.

Hayden considered it, but then looked back at the cell on her pillow. "But why isn't she answering?"

Dean's response was cut off by the door opening and Azraelle entering. Oblivious to the expectant gazes of those in the room, she dumped two six-packs on the table and sat down on her bed.

"Well?!" demanded Hayden, and Az looked at her, confused.

"Well what?"

"THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" Hayden exploded.

"Hm? Oh, right. Sorry. There was a really long line in the convenience store…then I got lost, and some moron gave met the wrong directions…"

"Why didn't you answer your damn phone?!" Hayden could feel a straight-up bitch-fit coming on.

Azraelle pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket, clicked a few buttons and turned it so Hayden could see the blank screen. "Battery died. Sorry, Hay."

Hayden tensed, her expression void as her eyes flickered over Azraelle. It took merely a fraction of a second, barely noticeable. Hayden then shook her head. "Dammit, Az. Panic me, why don'tcha. I thought the Trickster had got hold of you or something! Wouldn't be the first time you've been captured, would it? You remember Vegas, right?"

Az smiled awkwardly. "How could I forget?"

Hayden said nothing, then smiled. "Hey Az, could you go downstairs and get us a room for the night?"

Azraelle got up. "Um, sure thing."

Hayden smiled wider, but as soon as Azraelle left the room she dropped the charade. "Everyone on guard," she said in a low voice, making sure her gun was easily accessible.

"Hayden, what's going on?" asked Bobby, rising from his seat.

Hayden turned to them all. "We continue as planned. But _nobody_ mentions it in front of her."

"Hayden, what the hell?" demanded Dean.

Hayden scowled at the door. "We've never been to Las Vegas."

"What?" Dean looked perplexed.

"Az was never captured in Vegas. _We have never been to Vegas_. Ever."

"So, you mean-"

Hayden nodded. "That was not Azraelle."

* * *

"THIS ISN'T QUITE HOW I PLANNED THIS GOING!" yelled Hayden as she was chased through the auditorium by a chainsaw-wielding maniac. "I fucking hated this movie!"

Down by the stage, Dean and Sam were being knocked around by two scantily clad females. Bobby whacked Hayden's pursuer with his stake, and when it was distracted Hayden stabbed it with hers. The man stumbled, and Trickster gave them a slow, sarcastic applause.

"Not bad, not bad. But not good enough to kill me, I'm afraid."

Hayden wrenched her stake free. "I'm not gonna kill you yet," she spat. "First, I'm gonna get you to tell me where Azraelle is. The _real_ Azraelle."

Trickster feigned innocence. "You mean she wasn't with you?"

Hayden took a few hostile steps towards him, threatening to stick her stake exactly where the sun did not shine. Dean, meanwhile, was yelling about how he would never be able to enjoy a woman in red underwear again, and Hayden rolled her eyes.

Trickster grinned at her. "Maybe I killed her. Maybe she's lying broken in an empty motel room-"

It was at that moment Azraelle was thrown clean through the auditorium doors, followed shortly by a second Azraelle who was armed with what looked like half a broom handle.

"Or maybe she broke free and is now fighting her double with some broken janitorial equipment," Trickster finished, looking impressed.

One of the Azraelles hit the steps and rolled to the floor of the auditorium. The second Azraelle twirled the broom handle and made her way down the stairs to her double.

Everyone watched, totally frozen. Hayden herself looked from one Azraelle to the other. "Er…A-Az?"

They both looked at her.

"Hayden, it's me!" said the one by the stage. "Stay away from her, she's dangerous!"

"No, Hayden!" insisted the one with the broom handle. "I'm the real Az!"

"She's lying!"

"No! No, no, no!" retorted the other one. "We are _not_ starting the, 'I'm real, no I'm real' argument! It's too damn clichéd!"

Sam called up to Hayden. "Hayden, who's the real one?"

"Me, obviously!" snapped Broom-Handle. "Tell him, Hayden!"

Hayden threw up her hands in exasperation. "I don't know who to stab!"

Trickster chuckled, and both Azraelles turned on him. "Shut _up_!" Trickster looked affronted, but he was ignored.

Bobby stood by Hayden. "We can't help if we don't know which one is which."

Hayden nodded and gripped her stake tighter. "Maybe we should just take out the source."

But before she could move, unarmed Az moved, darting up the stairs. The second hurled her broom handle like a javelin, sprinting after her. They in the middle, and a fight broke out. One dropped, one kicked, one punched, one blocked and responded, but it was dodged.

Sam looked at Dean. "We need to do something!"

Dean didn't look away. In fact, his facial expression made it look like Christmas had come early. "And break up the girl fight?" He watched as one Az knocked the other to the ground and straddled her, pulling her fist back to punch, but the pinned one unseated her and the fight continued. Dean looked at his brother. "Sammy, this is what dreams are made of."

Sam just pushed him aside. "What do we do?"

Dean raised his stake. "We kill Trickster." He walked in front of Trickster, who was happily watching the two girls wrestle. "Hey!"

Trickster turned to him. "I told you to just leave town, Dean."

"Ah well, you know me," Dean replied smugly. "Never one to do as I'm told. Drives Sam nuts." He moved closer. Sam was making his way round.

"That much is obvious," agreed Trickster.

"Yeah, especially when the one giving orders is a monster like yourself."

"A monster? Dean, that hurts."

Sam lunged, but Trickster lashed out and sent him skidding backwards.

"Really, you two?" Trickster laughed. "Is that the best you can do? I mean, I really thought-"

They never found out what he thought, because it was at that moment that Hayden pounced, driving her stake straight through Trickster's back with a cry of, "Son of a bitch!"

He turned to look at her, shocked, before he collapsed into one of the chairs. His projections squealed as they rapidly faded away. There was a yelp from Azraelle as her doppelganger vanished, just as she'd been lifting Az, resulting in Az dropping to the hard floor with a thud. She was picking herself up when Hayden ran over to her.

"Hey, are you okay?!"

"Fine," Az answered sarcastically, spitting blood. "Just great. Always a good day when your partner and best friend puts you in a life or death situation because she can't tell the damn difference between me and a copy!"

"Hey!" Hayden replied indignantly. "I recognized that it was a fake back at the motel, thank you very much! That's why we planned to avoid her and come in here without her!"

"So you abandoned her?"

"Well, yeah. So?"

"That explains why she came back to find me, then." Azraelle grimaced.

Hayden paused. "…yeah. Did not think about that."

"Clearly. So how did you know she was a fake, anyway?"

"I brought up when you got captured in Vegas."

"We've never been to Vegas."

"Exactly." Hayden smiled proudly. "Just call me a genius."

Az rolled her eyes as she brushed herself down. "So why didn't you do that again? I'd have just told you we'd never been wherever and you'd have known she was fake."

Hayden paused again. "Yeah, didn't think of that either."

"Wonderful." Az could not have sounded more sarcastic if she tried.

"Well I, for one, am glad," muttered Dean to Sam with a grin.

Sam just shook his head and looked at Bobby. "You okay, Bobby?"

"Yeah," he replied from where he was inspecting Trickster's body. "But we should get the hell outta here before someone finds all of this."

"Agreed," said Az, starting up the steps. When she walked out the front door, she cried out in delight. "Oh, my car!" She ran over to the Mustang and threw herself down on the bonnet.

Dean slowed his walk in appreciation. "Nice car," he said, walking over.

Az stroked the driver's side handle affectionately before opening said door and checking that the keys were still there. "Yes. Yes, she is."

Dean looked at the interior. "Not bad at all. Top speed?"

Before he and Az could continue their car talk, Bobby moved between them. "Can you two just get in the damn cars already?"

They did, Hayden calling shotgun on Az's car. "That reminds me!" she said triumphantly, patting the dash. "You owe me a drink!"

Az started up the car. "I just beat the crap out of myself because you couldn't think of a simple identity check. I owe you nothing."

"The hell you don't, bitch!"

They were still arguing when they arrived at Bobby's house.

* * *

**A/N; It's me, Gee. Still here. We really hope you liked the chapter! Please review/follow/favourite! It would mean a lot! We'd love to know what you thought of everything. More reviews and follows = faster updates! Well, until next time. Carry on, my wayward sons.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Hey there, readers! Gee here again, coming to you live from a place that I will never reveal on the internet because, well, stranger danger and all that. I'll take this time to apologise on behalf of myself and LittleMiss for the amount of time it's taken to crank out this chapter. But it's here now, and ain't that the point, ay? Now, this chapter diverts away from the main arc of season two. Why? Because we didn't want to take our OCs and Pritt Stick them into the story for no good reason. With that being said, thank you to everyone who followed/favourited/reviewed, and we hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Azraelle wiped sweat from her brow and leaned on her shovel. "So, did you want to swing by Bobby's after this?"

They were currently in a cemetery, Azraelle digging up a grave while Hayden sat on the edge swinging her legs.

"Well, while it won't exactly be a swing-by, yeah, I do. I want to grab some beer beforehand, though; don't want to drink through his."

"I doubt he'll mind that much," said Az, stabbing the ground. "He'd likely just be happy to see you."

"Yeah," murmured Hayden, falling back with a soft thud. She lay there for a moment, staring at the sky and listening to the sound of Azraelle shovelling dirt. "The stars are really bright out here," she noted, and heard Az grunt in response.

"Oh, yeah. Beautiful. I'm sorry that I'm too busy digging this grave up _alone_ to appreciate them fully."

Hayden dismissively waved a hand at her. "Please. You're basically a machine, you can take it." She sat up. "That reminds me. How're you feeling after your wrestling match with a better-looking you?"

"Hilarious," muttered Azraelle, pulling up the coffin lid. "I love that you ask about my well-being after I've done all the manual labour."

"I'll take that as an 'I'm okay'."

"That I am." Azraelle climbed out of the grave, narrowly avoiding being covered in salt. They watched the fire burn for a few moments before they both began shovelling the dirt back into the hole. Well, Azraelle shovelled. Hayden sort of haphazardly kicked it.

When they were done, Azraelle rested the shovel on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Hayden sighed. "Just feels weird to be seeing him again, y'know?"

"Honestly? No. Pretty sure yours is a unique circumstance."

Hayden nodded. "True, true..."

* * *

The drive to Bobby's would take about two days and while Az was content, singing along to Joan Jett, Hayden felt tense. She'd never been good with the whole 'family bonding' thing. She made sure to always see her parents at some point around Christmas, but other than that... She could never tell them what she spent her time doing, and in truth's absence, awkward silences took over. Eventually she stopped lying and they stopped asking.

Hayden hoped with Bobby it'd be different. He knew the life. She wouldn't have to hide it from him. She felt the tension ease as she thought about it and soon fell asleep to Az singing "_I love Rock 'n' Roll, so put another dime in the jukebox, baybeh!_"

When she finally woke it was due to a sharp pain in her shoulder: Az had been stabbing her with a plastic fork.

"What the - hey - _hey!_" she grumbled, swatting groggily. "The hell, man?"

"It's about time," Az muttered, not taking her eyes off the road. Hayden noticed that she was driving a lot faster than she had been before. Az dropped a phone into Hayden's lap.

"It's your uncle," she stated, answering Hayden's unspoken question of _what is going on_.

Hayden paused for a few seconds before putting the phone to her ear. "Uncle Bobby?"

There was a brief pause again.

"Hayden," he answered. "You okay?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Demons. A few of 'em close by. I've already told your friend."

Hayden looked at Azraelle and then at the speed they were going. "That explains why we're hurtling through space and time. What are they doing?"

"Being demons," Bobby stated like it was enough to condemn them. It was. "I'll be meeting you both there."

"Oh, uh, awesome!" Hayden chirped, then slapped her palm to her forehead. _'Awesome'? Did I just seriously squeak that? You're meeting to hunt demons, not go to a damn family barbecue!_

Azraelle glanced at her, shaking her head.

"See you there. Uh, bye," Bobby finished the conversation awkwardly before hanging up. Hayden held the phone to her ear for a few moments afterwards before putting it back in the glove-box.

"So. Demons," she said, inviting Azraelle to fill her in.

"Two, Bobby thinks. Usually he'd ask the Winchesters, but he figured we were closer."

"Where are they?"

"Beats me. Personally, I think he just wanted to spend time with you but didn't know how to go about it"

Hayden smiled a little. "Really?"

"Yeah. Which surprised me. I figured anyone related to you would be just as demanding and annoying."

Hayden's smile grew wider as she punched Azraelle's shoulder. "You love me. Shut up."

* * *

Twenty-five hours later and the three of them were gearing up. The demons were located in a bar about half an hour from the motel they were in now. The watering hole in question had been closed for a few years now, but Bobby's scouting of the area had left him with no doubt.

"We all clear on the plan?" he asked as they stood ready.

"Go in while they're gone, set up the traps. Then when they get back, wait for 'em to fall for it," said Hayden, tying back the glossy brown cascade that was her hair, leaving her bangs hanging bluntly across her eyebrows.

"And if they don't, we get persuasive." Az just left her own hair hanging in black unruly tresses.

"Alright," nodded Bobby, satisfied. "Time to go."

It didn't take long for them to get there, so they waited in Az's car as Bobby kept watch. His scouting sessions had discovered that the two demons would leave for an hour or so to get supplies; what he thought was food, booze and a few things he couldn't quite make out.

Hayden frowned at Azraelle from the back seat - Bobby had called shotgun, much to Azraelle's amusement. "Dude, are you drinking fruit juice right now?"

Azraelle defensively sucked at her juice box. "It helps our cover. Makes us less conspicuous when one of us is doing something."

Hayden's expression didn't change. "Don't try and justify your childish beverage." Az rolled her eyes.

"They're leaving," Bobby said quietly, like the demons would hear him from across the street. Both girls went silent, watching a middle-aged biker type and a woman in her twenties who was in all floral-print get into a sedan and drive off.

"Clear?" asked Hayden, and Bobby nodded.

They all moved quickly through the dimming light and down an alley that led them behind the row of buildings. They found the bar's back entrance easily enough and it didn't take long for Azraelle to pick the rusted lock, then they were in.

Hayden wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Oh my God, this place is nasty."

Inside was in no way a betrayal to the decrepit exterior. It was just as broken and unclean, bottles lying discarded amongst the wrappers and grime.

Azraelle kicked some rubbish and some bugs scuttled across the floor. "Disgusting," she agreed. "We could probably make devil's traps by cleaning lines in the dirt."

Bobby opened a small can of black paint and turned to them. "Do I need to remind you ladies that we're here to hunt demons, not clean and redecorate their living space?"

Azraelle nodded and knelt down in the centre of the room, roughly clearing the dirt with her hands so Bobby could paint the necessary symbols. She heard Hayden do the same, muttering a mixture or 'ew', 'gross' and a few obscenities under her breath.

It didn't take long for the trap to be painted, and after it had dried Azraelle set about scattering bottle, wrappers and dirty old sheets of newspaper to cover up the majority of the black symbology on the floor.

Then they settled in to wait.

The demons returned early. Hayden, hidden behind a jut in the wall, listened to them argue as they walked in.

"This place is a complete crap-hole!" snapped the woman. The man laughed.

"Sorry, princess, next time I'll find you a castle."

"Shut it, Eugene!"

From where she was, Hayden could see Azraelle tucked away behind the bar mouthing "_Eugene the Biker Demon?_" in disbelief. Hayden just shrugged. _Lame._

The floral demon threw up her arms as she walked in. "My God, I swear this place looks worse now than it did when we left!"

She stepped into the centre of the room.

_One down._

Eugene lounged in the doorway. "The way you talk, I'm amazed you'd notice. You know, I was wrong when I said your meatsuit was messing with you, Maxie, it's not. You've just always been soft-"

Maxie snarled as she lunged at Eugene...

...only to hit an invisible barrier.

Both looked dumbfounded for a second, then Eugene stepped forward and kicked aside a newspaper sheet. Part of the black outer nline became clear.

"Hunters," hissed Maxie.

"No shit," said Az as she stood and put a few rounds in Eugene. He yelled out and stumbled back a few steps in surprise. Hayden took the opportunity to come out of hiding and hit him with a broken chair leg that had been lying around. He reeled.

"Whoa," he mumbled, "That's a lot of stars." He recovered quickly, ducking under Hayden's next blow and blocking Bobby's. His arm snapped out and grabbed Hayden, pulling her close like a shield. "Speaking of stars," he crooned, "You're pretty. Girl like you should be in the pictures."

"That's disgusting!" Hayden struggled, elbowing him in the ribs, which earned a grunt of pain but no release. "And not to mention outdated. Pictures? How old _are_ you?!"

"Think of it as experience," he wheezed.

"Oh, hell no!" snapped Bobby and Azraelle in unison, the former taking aim and trying to get a clear shot, while Azraelle began dealing with the demon they had trapped to get her out of the picture. "_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas_-"

"Oh hell," breathed Eugene as Maxie started screaming, them he bellowed at the door by the other side of the bar. "Alice! Get in here! We have an infestation problem!"

"Alice?" repeated Hayden and Bobby shook his head in confusion. A few seconds later the door was thrown open and another woman walked in, black eyes gleaming, and with a swift arm gesture Bobby was knocked flying. Alice then eyed Azraelle, finished with Maxie's exorcism, and sent her through the air, where the hunter hit the wall and crumpled to the ground.

Eugene grinned and gestured to Hayden with his chin, and pulling the pentagram charm from her wrist. "Got you a better meatsuit, baby."

"Oh, pretty," commented the woman before opening her mouth to release a stream of black smoke. Bobby and Azraelle heard her scream as they picked themselves up off the floor, but by the time they were standing it was too late. Hayden was smiling at them with a whole new, black-eyed outlook on life.

Hayden -no, it was Alice- swung her arms around delightedly and looked in the dusty mirror behind the bar. "Oh, wonderful. This one looks way hotter than the last one." She pulled back her/Hayden's overgrown bangs and wrinkled her nose. "Except for this scar, this is horrible." When she turned to them, she was smiling, and Az felt pained to see Hayden's face twisted in such a malicious expression, and it wasn't even directed at her. It was directed at Bobby.

Alice leaned back against the bar, as if she had all the time in the world. "She blames you for the scar you know. For all of it, actually. And wow, is there a lot!" She paused for a moment, digging deeper into Hayden's head Azraelle realised with pang of revulsion.

Alice licked her lips. "Oh yeah, she blames you real bad, old man."

Eugene took his eyes off the two hunter threats for a moment to glance at Alice. "Babe?"

She gleefully pointed at Bobby. "This one is this girl's long time absentee uncle, _and_ the reason her face is all messed up."

"Really?" Eugene grinned, sensing torment.

"Really. It isn't just her face that's messed up either, her whole life is because of him. At least, that's what she thinks. Personally, Uncle Bobby -can I call you uncle?- I don't think it was your fault. I mean, your wife was possessed, how were you to know? Sure you could have probably stopped her from cutting into poor little Hayden's face with that knife if you had acted faster, but that's beside the point. You're lucky that she was delicate about it, otherwise this face could have been a lot less... Well, less. And taking a knife to your wife to try and stop kill the demon? Nice try, but hey, at least it gave Hayden nightmares for a good few years, so there's always that."

Bobby had gone white and was leaning on the table slightly for support, but Azraelle couldn't tell if this was from sadness or rage. Or both. "Get outta my niece," he whispered, his hand tightening round his gun.

"Or what?" Alice mock-whispered back. "This thing you and the girl have is way too fun!" Her lips twisted into another smile. "More than anything, I'm curious what's wrong with _you_, Bobby Singer. Who did you piss off for this to keep happening to you? First your wife, now your niece, the girl you and your woman loved like a daughter... Did you ever consider that you're the reason people around you keep getting hurt? And she will get hurt, trust me. Oh, the things I'm going to do with this girl... and your friend with the shotgun won't be able to stop me like he did your wife."

"I don't need Rufus to send your damned ass back to hell." Bobby went to move but was cut off as Eugene smiled stupidly at him and stepped forward.

"What are you going to do?" he sneered. "You can't hurt the girl!"

Something inside Azraelle snapped. "We can hurt you!"

And she kicked the chair in front of her into Eugene's legs with more force than she realised she had, and it knocked his legs from clean out underneath him, sending him crashing to the floor.

"No!" yelled Alice as Bobby darted forward, pointing his gun to Eugene's forehead. Before he could pull the trigger Eugene's jaw dropped allowing a jet of black smoke to escape and rush out the door.

"No!" Alice screamed again. "Coward!" She turned to Azraelle, who had advanced on her. Now close range, she lashed out with a right hook which Alice blocked, moving to retaliate, but Azraelle was quicker, defending and lunging forward to plant her knee in her opponent's gut.

"I'm sorry, Hay!" she muttered as Alice crumpled slightly, and then brought her elbow sharply down onto Alice's back. She cried out and Azraelle grabbed her by the shirt -and winced as she felt it tear. Hayden was going to make her pay for that more than she was the bodily harm- threw her into the devil's trap that Alice had been skirting around the edge of the room to avoid.

Az breathed deep and looked up to see Bobby watching her, mouth slightly agape at the violence shown.

Az shrugged, feeling slightly guilty. "Hey, I'm her best friend. I can get away with stuff like this." She thought about the wrath she knew she had coming her way. "Kind of."

Bobby nodded in what seemed like understanding and stepped to the edge of the circle. "I said, get outta my niece! _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus..._"

* * *

When Hayden came to, she didn't realise she was awake at first; where she was laying was the location of all of her nightmares. But once she realised she was actually in Bobby Singer's living room, and not in another horrifying dream, she calmed down and looked around. Azraelle was sitting on a chair by the arm of the couch and smiled at Hayden when she realised she was awake.

"Hey, Sleeping Ugly, how are you feeling?"

Hayden sat up and winced as pain rattled through her ribcage. "Sore," she coughed, and saw Azraelle shift guiltily out the corner of her eye, though she wasn't entirely sure why.

She was about to ask her as she was pretty sure Az had something to do with the aches she was feeling now when she saw Bobby walk into the kitchen.

Az heard it and stood up. "I'll go get some clothes for you to change into from the car."

Before she left, she whispered something to Bobby with what Hayden knew to be her reassuring voice, though she couldn't make out what she actually said. Bobby seemed grateful, if a bit gruff about it, and sat down where Azraelle had been.

"How're you doing?" he asked, looking anywhere but Hayden.

She shifted, hoping the movement would get him to look at her. She didn't want him to have any doubt that this was not his fault. "I'm alright. I feel like someone played the xylophone on my ribs using a hammer, but that'll ease up when I've punched Az in the face, I think."

Bobby laughed, but when he looked at her was no humour in his face. "I'm sorry, Hayden."

"Don't be," she said quietly. "This wasn't your fault, Bobby. It isn't now, and it wasn't then. Not even a little."

"Did you really have nightmares for years?"

After a moment Hayden nodded.

Bobby sat heavily back in the chair. "I shoulda been there for you."

Hayden shook her head. "Still not your fault, Uncle Bobby. Mom and Dad would never have let you, and you can't blame yourself for that." They were silent for a moment, neither quite sure what to say, before Hayden smiled a little.

"Hey," she said quietly. Bobby looked at her, and his eyes widened in surprise as she hugged him. "All this means is just that you're going to have to put up with your wonderful niece and her crazy-ass friend more often now. We're family, Uncle B; you ain't getting rid of me now, or ever."

Bobby smiled, though Hayden couldn't see it, and hugged her back. "Wouldn't dream of trying."

* * *

**A/N- And that is that! Demons really are sons of bitches. The Winchesters shall be returning next chapter, which shall involve movie studios, angry spirits, LA and a terrible Evil Dead rip-off. Until then, review, follow, favourite and see you next time!**


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